unMASKing with Male Educators: Creating Emotionally Safe Classrooms & Schools for Male Students

“We’re different adults, this is a different situation, and you don’t have to be that child anymore. You can be, for that child, what you needed when you were their age. And we can do that now. And we can do that differently. That’s how healing happens.” - Saed Hill Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Saed Hill. Saed is a Counseling Psychologist, and the Assistant Director of Preventio...

“Everyone’s always thinking about what they don’t have. We can always be looking at each other thinking, ‘he’s got something I don’t have’ or ‘she has this.’ You take that focus away from what you do, and it’s that hedonic treadmill where it’s never enough.” - Manj Bahra Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Manj Bahra. Manj is a transformation and relationship coach, who’s found a speci...

Say not, “I have found the truth,” but rather, “I have found a truth.” Say not, “I have found the path of the soul.” Say rather, “I have met the soul walking upon my path.” - The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran This TOTM Face to Face conversation is between Wenceslao and Mohandas. Wenceslao is the Ever Forward Club’s Youth Host. You can get to know more about him in episode 123 . Mohandas is the Ever For...

“Racism has been used as this tool for centuries to divide and conquer, and to separate ordinary people of different colors, and to keep them from working together to challenge the corporate domination of working people and the planet.” - David Dean Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by David Dean. David is a political educator, speaker, and writer dedicated to supporting white people to...

“Keep on keepin’ on. Because, believe it or not there’s someone who’s looking at you in a way that you don’t even see yourself.” - Tyrone J. Dangerfield Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Tyrone J. Dangerfield. Tyrone is a Writer and Independent Filmmaker, born and raised in Oakland, CA. With deep generational family roots in the Bay Area, he loves researching his family history and i...

“I’m generally more shy and reserved, and I think I’ve naturally gravitated towards more extroverted people because they take up space and it makes me feel more comfortable.” - Drew Barvir Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Drew Barvir. Drew currently is enrolled in Stanford’s MBA program. Growing up, members of Drew’s family had their battles with mental illness, and, partly because...

“Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.” - On Children by Kahlil Gibran This TOTM Face to Face conversation is between Wenceslao and Mr. John Jimenez. Wenceslao is the Ever Forward Club’s Youth Host. You can get to know more about him in episo...

“I knew that if I wanted to control the outcome before someone was about to make fun of me, or judge, or criticize; it was better for me to be the first one to make a joke about myself.” - Diego Estrada Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Diego Estrada. Born and raised in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mėxico, Diego currently speaks at conferences and delivers workshops on authenticity. Diego...

Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Christopher Veal. As a former Marine officer, combat veteran, and Black man, Christopher leverages all this and his 25 years of experience in executive development as a global influencer and speaker on evolving masculinity, and as the author of The Whole Man. A huge part of Christopher’s life has been holding difficult conversations. And in this epis...

“What keeps me hopeful is our students. Our students and our youth, they’re fearless; they’re committed; they’re open-minded. They have always been the anchor to the work that I do. When they realize that they’ve got adults that care for them and that believe in them, they give it right back. That’s something that I’m really grateful for.” Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Jerome Hun...

“It’s just this cycle I’ve been on for so long. What would it be like to not distract yourself with the work thing, but also not go to the numbing out thing - and just be present in all the stuff? That’s the life I want. I want to feel more.” Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Jeremy Mohler. As a therapist, writer, and meditation teacher, Jeremy offers therapy and life coaching to peo...

“In the end, I want you to trust me. There are some students - they don’t always like me, but they know I got their back. And sometimes you can’t have both at the same time, and I think growing as a teacher is constant communication, constant trust - how do you move forward even when somebody’s gonna have a challenge?” - Bryan Hill, Spanish Teacher, City Arts and Leadership This TOTM Face to Face...

Please enjoy a special BONUS episode, which originally aired on the podcast High Tech High: Unboxed . In the episode, educator Enrique "Chikle" Lugo shares how he helps students of color navigate white spaces. Learn more about High Tech High at www.hightechhigh.org .

“With How Men Cry, we’re not even really just talking about physical tears. It’s really about all the different ways that we can cry out, essentially from not processing pain or trauma or some of these things that we hide behind the mask.” - Jordan “Dxtr Spits” Holmes Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Jordan “Dxtr Spits” Holmes. Dxtr’s motto is to "live life like an experiment,...

“I’m not trying to glorify suffering. If people can find ways of suffering less, I think that’s a really great thing. But I also find some beauty in - if we all sat around and talked about how terrified we were, I would rather be in that group than a bunch of groups who think they’ve healed it all.” - David Bedrick Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by David Bedrick. David is the founder...

“We see a lot of the fighting, but if you actually look at some of the famous martial artists, they’re also well-known for their healing abilities. So a complete system is martial arts and healing arts - the yin and the yang. We can’t only just be fighting; we’re going to get hurt. This is part of the healing arts that we need to have in our arsenal.” - Justin Zhu Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branc...

“The teacher who walks in the shadow of the temple, among his followers, gives not of his wisdom but rather of his faith and his lovingness. If he is indeed wise he does not bid you enter the house of his wisdom, but rather leads you to the threshold of your own mind.” On Teaching, by Kahlil Gibran This TOTM Face to Face conversation is between Wenceslao and Patrick. Wenceslao is the Ever Forward...

“ This is how you can communicate. This is how you can express. This is what tough can be. You being able to speak your truth about what’s happening is tough and courageous. Most people would just keep it to themselves.” - Paul Newell Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Paul Newell. Paul is a Men’s Health and Well-Being Teacher intent on co-creating a heart-full culture of men by guidi...

“I’ve always been funny. As a kid I was funny. Always funny. But then ask me why I was funny, and the story’s not funny.” - Pellegrino Riccardi Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Pellegrino Riccardi. Raised in the UK in an archetypal Italian family, as a young adult Pellegrino balanced a career in education and music. He moved to Norway in the 1990s and, long story short, now works as...

“As men, it’s often our terminal uniqueness that we think we’re the only one struggling with ‘x’ and so we’re not going to bother or burden anyone else with this thing because it’s so minuscule. Yet it’s actually so powerful in ways that it can derail us.” - Sean Harvey Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Sean Harvey. The Chief Compassion Officer of Warrior Compassion Men's Studio, Sea...

“Pleasure is a freedom-song, But it is not freedom. It is the blossoming of your desires, But it is not their fruit. It is a depth calling unto a height, But it is not the deep nor the high.” On Pleasure, by Kahlil Gibran --- This TOTM Face to Face conversation is between Wenceslao and Camilo. Wenceslao is the Ever Forward Club’s new Youth Host! You can get to know more about him in episode 123. C...

“We on the progressive side have twisted up intersectionality. And we’ve twisted it up such that we have not agreed - metaphorically speaking - to move through the intersection unified. We’ve gotten stuck in the intersection. And while we’re there people are making up new rules. And those new rules show up as new words. And everybody got a new word. So we can’t move because we’re in this biblical...

Help is available. We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States. Dial 988. “There is nothing comfortable about powerlifting. I have an ability to embrace the discomfort. I have an ability to embrace the suck. Now...

Help is available. We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals in the United States. Dial 988. “The suicide rate among men is 3 to 4 times what it is among women. However, women tend to be diagnosed with depression - one of the prim...

“I value my life based on how other people value my life. People see different sides of you, and they can only judge you by that side that they see. That’s how this stuff works.” - Mayank Sohani Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch is joined by Sunny Bahuguna and Mayank Sohani. As the hosts of the Bottled Up Podcast, Sunny and Mayank provide a platform for people to share their journeys and mental h...